In this blog I present the results of my research into the landowning families of the British Isles and the country houses which they owned. Comments, especially in the form of corrections, additional information or new illustrations, are very welcome. Please use the Contact Form in the right hand side bar to contact me privately or the comments facility at the bottom of the page to make a public comment.

Tuesday, 25 April 2017

The Aykroyds are one of the many Yorkshire families who made fortunes from the county's 19th century textile industries and purchased landed estates with their profits. In the case of the Aykroyds, the money came initially from the Bradford dyeing and finishing business established in 1835 by William Aykroyd (1808-79), which was greatly expanded by his sons, Alfred (1841-90) and William Edward Aykroyd (1847-1927). In 1898 the business was sold to the Bradford Dyers Association, of which Alfred's son, William Henry Aykroyd (1865-1947) became chairman until 1910, when he joined the board of T.F. Firth & Sons Ltd. of Brighouse and Heckmondwike, carpet manufacturers. In the 1920s, he was created a baronet and bought Grantley Hall, the great 18th century house of the Norton family, Barons Grantley, although this was sold again after his death in 1947 to provide capital to pay death duties.This article concerns the descendants of William Edward Aykroyd (1847-1927), who followed a not dissimilar course. His three sons all had careers in the textile industry, but it was his second son, Frederick Alfred Aykroyd (1873-1949), who displayed the greatest commercial acumen and made the most money; by the 1920s he was chairman of four companies. In 1902 he married a daughter of Sir James Roberts, 1st bt., the businessman who had bought the failing company of Sir Titus Salt & Sons at Saltaire, and turned it into a successful business which he sold for £2m in 1920. During the First World War Aykroyd was engaged by the War Office to supervise the distribution of raw materials for industrial production, and in the 1920s he was again employed to advise on industrial policy. This public service earned him a baronetcy in 1929. By then he had already purchased Birstwith Hall, a considerably more modest seat than his cousin's palatial Grantley Hall, but one which his descendants have been able to retain.When Sir Frederick Alfred Aykroyd died in 1949, his heir was his only son, Sir Cecil William Aykroyd (1905-93), 2nd bt., whowas an unmarried and retiring man, with no taste for frequenting the board room, and interested chiefly in shooting. In 1946, he inherited from his uncle, Percy Clifford Aykroyd (1877-1946), the majority shareholding in the company he had spent his life building up, the Yorkshire Ramie Spinning Co, but finding that trading conditions were adverse, he simply closed it down and sold the assets. Under Sir Cecil's ownership Birstwith Hall gradually fell into decay, and after his mother died in 1964, part of it was subdivided into flats.When Sir Cecil died in 1993, the heir to the estate and baronetcy was his nephew, the present owner, Sir James Alexander Frederic Aykroyd (b. 1943), 3rd bt., who was much more in the mould of his grandfather, having spent his working life in marketing for the drinks industry. Taking stock of his inheritance in the mid-1990s, he realised he needed to release capital from the estate to pay death duties and put the house, farms and cottages in order. He accordingly sold one of the estate farms, leaving him with about 500 acres and sufficient funds to reverse the decay resulting from half a century of neglect. Birstwith Hall itself, which was not listed, was remodelled to remove unwanted 19th century service accommodation and create a new entrance hall and better family rooms. Happily, this task was assigned to one of the leading country house practices in the country, Adam Architecture, which created a sequence of attractive and liveable spaces within the shell of the essentially 18th century house.

Birstwith Hall, Yorkshire (WR)

An irregular and informal house, set on a sloping site above the valley of the Tang Beck, a tributary of the River Nidd. The house is said to have been first built in the 17th century by the Day family, who named it Day Hall, but the majority of the present building was constructed in 1780, probably for William Day (d. 1804), by which time the present name was in use. In 1806 the house was advertised to be let and it was stated that the accommodation consisted of two parlours, a dining room, drawing room and service accommodation, with eight principal bedrooms on the first floor, and this was little changed when it was again let in 1888. There were, however, additions in the 19th century, chiefly of service accommodation.The house was sold about 1830 to Rawdon Briggs (1792-1859) and passed to his son of the same name, and then to the latter's widow, who let the house. It was bought in about 1920 by Frederick Aykroyd (1873-1949), who was made a baronet in 1929. During the ownership of his son, Sir Cecil Aykroyd (1905-93), 2nd bt., the house gradually fell into decay, and part of it was subdivided into flats. When Sir Cecil died, the estate passed to the present owner, Sir James Alexander Frederic Aykroyd (b. 1943), 3rd bt., who employed Hugh Petter of Robert Adam Architects to undertake a scheme of repair, reduction and replanning in 1994-96, which removed most of the Victorian service additions and created a series of new family rooms and a formal entrance hall in the body of the 18th century house. A fine garden has been created around the house by Lady Aykroyd.Descent: William Day (d. 1804); to widow, Sarah Day (fl. 1806)...c.1840 to Rawdon Briggs (1792-1859); to son, Rawdon Briggs (1825-77); to widow, Louisa Briggs (1832-1917) who sold, perhaps c.1882, to Louisa Elizabeth Greenwood (1828-91), widow; to son, Charles Staniforth Greenwood (1857-1941), who sold c.1920 to Sir Frederick Aykroyd (1873-1949), 1st bt.; to son, Sir Cecil William Aykroyd (1905-93), 2nd bt.; to nephew, Sir James Alexander Frederic Aykroyd (b. 1943), 3rd bt. The house was let for a long period in the late 19th and 20th centuries, to tenants including John Henry Hope (fl. 1882), Mr & Mrs A. E. Leather (fl. 1894), W.H. Ferrand and Maj. Dove (fl. 1910).

Aykroyd family of Birstwith Hall, baronets

Aykroyd, William (1808-79). Son of Charles Aykroyd (d. 1856) of Thornton (Yorks) and his wife Susannah, born 4 May 1808. He established William Aykroyd & Co., dyers, in 1835, and took his sons into partnership when they came of age, after which the firm became William Aykroyd & Sons. He married, 22 February 1836 at St Peter, Bradford (Yorks WR), Mary (1813-81), daughter of Richard Constantine of Bradford, cooper, and had issue:(1) Martha Aykroyd (1837-51), born 29 January and baptised at St Peter, Bradford, 24 February 1837; died young, Oct-Dec 1851;(2) Alfred Aykroyd (1841-90) of Oakwood, Manningham (Yorks), born 29 January and baptised at St Peter, Bradford, 14 April 1841; a partner in William Aykroyd & Sons, dyers, from 1862 (chairman, 1879-90); JP for Yorkshire (WR); married, 4 June 1862 at White Abbey Methodist Chapel, Bradford, Ellen (d. 1925), daughter of Henry Milnes of Nearcliffe, Manningham, and had issue three sons (from the eldest of whom descend the Aykroyd baronets of Lightcliffe) and four daughters; died 18 April 1890;(3) Joseph Aykroyd (1845-46), born 22 April and baptised at St Peter, Bradford, 23 May 1845; died in infancy, Apr-Jun 1846;(4) William Edward Aykroyd (1847-1927) (q.v.);(5) Mary Ann Aykroyd (1849-1943), born 21 March and baptised at St Peter, Bradford, 18 April 1849; died unmarried, 13 May 1943, aged 94; administration of goods granted 16 December 1943 (estate £125);(6) Emily Aykroyd (1852-73), born 8 October 1852 and baptised at St Peter, Bradford, 3 December 1852; died unmarried, Jan-Mar 1873;(7) Anne Eliza Aykroyd (1854-1931), born 16 December 1854 and baptised at St Peter, Bradford, 12 September 1855; married, 21 August 1877 at White Abbey Methodist Chapel, Bradford, John Holmes (b. c.1853), bank clerk, and had issue five children; died 20 April 1931; will proved 21 July 1931 (estate £1,016).He lived at Bradford (Yorks WR).He died 7 July 1879; his will was proved 13 January 1880 (effects under £8,000). His widow died 27 June 1881.Aykroyd, William Edward (1847-1927). Son of William Aykroyd (1808-79) of Bradford and his wife Mary Constantine, born 11 March 1847. Educated as Sutton Grove Academy near Tadcaster (Yorks WR) but began his business career at the age of 16. He was a partner from 1868 in William Aykroyd & Sons, dyers, of Oakwood Dyeworks, and chairman of the company 1890-98, when it was sold to the Bradford Dyers Association.A Conservative in politics, he was a member of the Bradford Board of Guardians, 1886-90 (Chairman, 1889-90) and of Bradford City Council, 1894-99 (Mayor, 1898); JP for Yorkshire (WR). He married, 7 April 1869 at White Abbey Wesleyan Chapel, Bradford, Alice (1848-1911), daughter of Henry Milnes of Manningham (Yorks), and had issue:(1) Ada Aykroyd (1870-1941), born 18 January and baptised at White Abbey Wesleyan Methodist Church, Bradford, 20 March 1870; married, 28 June 1899 at St John's Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Bradford, Cromwell Walter Jones (1870-1968), merchant, son of John Lambert Jones of Dublin, and had issue one son and one daughter; lived at Dundrum (Co. Dublin) and later Eccles (Lancs); died 19 June 1941; will proved 10 July 1941 (estate £6,246);(2) Henry Edward Ayrkroyd (1871-1929) of Manor House, Knaresborough (Yorks WR), born 31 August 1871; chemical engineer, worked in the family dyeing and finishing business; freeman of the city of London, 1922; served in First World War as an officer in the Royal Field Artillery (Lt-Col.); married, 30 January 1906 at St John, Roundhay, Leeds (Yorks WR), Susan Eliza (k/a Belle) (c.1866-1946), daughter of James Clifford, gent. of Roundhay, but had no issue; died 31 March 1929;(3) Sir Frederick Alfred Aykroyd (1873-1949), 1st bt. (q.v.);(4) Beatrice Emily Aykroyd (1875-1956), born 21 March and baptised at Bradford Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, 30 May 1875; married, 2 June 1897 at St John's Wesleyan Chapel, Bradford, Joseph Harold Smith (c.1873-1947), worsted spinner, son of Isaac Smith, and had issue four children; died 23 April 1956;(5) Percy Clifford Aykroyd (1877-1946) of White Lodge, Heaton, Bradford, born 27 April and baptised at Bradford Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, 11 June 1877; an officer in the 2nd West Riding Royal Engineers (2nd Lt., 1900); Chairman of the Yorkshire Ramie Spinning Co., c.1903-47; had musical interests and was a friend of the composer Arnold Trowell, who dedicated several works to him; married, 6 April 1921 at Salem Congregational Church, Manningham, Bradford, Constance Muriel (1885-1968), daughter of Lewis Gordon Hill of Lake View, Bradford, but had no issue; died 27 November 1946 and was buried at Kettlewell (Yorks WR); will proved 13 March 1947 (estate £70,861).He lived in Bradford and later at Ashdown, Apperley Bridge (Yorks).He died 1 March 1927; will proved 11 June 1927 (estate £104,768). His wife died 24 May 1911.Aykroyd, Sir Frederick Alfred (1873-1949), 1st bt. Second son of William Edward Aykroyd (1847-1927) and his wife Alice, daughter of Henry Milnes of Manningham (Yorks), born 25 June 1873. Entered the family business of William Aykroyd & Sons, dyers, in 1892, and subsequently developed his own businesses in the wool trade; by the 1920s he was chairman of four companies. During the First World War he worked in the War Office, in charge of the distribution of raw materials to British and allied manufacturers. President of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, 1924-25; member of the Advisory Committee to the Board of Trade, 1927-29; President of the Commercial Travellers Association, 1927-29; President of the Single Yarn Spinners Association, 1927-29. He was created a baronet, 23 March 1929. JP for Yorkshire (WR) and Liberty of Ripon. High Sheriff of Yorkshire, 1941. He married, 8 April 1902, Lily May (1879-1964), elder daughter of Sir James Roberts, 1st bt., of Milner Field (Yorks WR), and had issue:(1) Margaret Roberts Aykroyd (1903-81), born 10 February 1903; married, 2 September 1924, Col. George Hammond Aykroyd (1900-72), youngest son of Sir William Henry Aykroyd, 1st bt. of Lightcliffe, and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 27 July 1981; will proved 20 November 1981 (estate £168,175);(2) Sir Cecil William Aykroyd (1905-93), 2nd bt. (q.v.);(3) (Frederic) Howard Aykroyd (1907-78), born 10 October 1907; educated at Rugby and Jesus College, Cambridge (BA 1928); married, 12 July 1932, (Ruth) Joan (1904-92), elder daughter of Carlton Oldfield of Moor Hall, Harewood (Yorks WR), and had issue three daughters; died 24 August 1978; will proved 22 November 1978 (estate £164,078);(4) Bertram Aykroyd (1915-83) (q.v.).He purchased Birstwith Hall c.1920.He died 31 December 1949 and was buried at Hampsthwaite; his will was proved 22 April 1950 (estate £294,257). His widow died 22 March 1964 and was buried at Hampsthwaite; her will was proved 3 July 1964 (estate £118,031).Aykroyd, Sir Cecil William (1905-93), 2nd bt. Eldest son of Sir Frederick Alfred Aykroyd (1873-1949), 1st bt., and his wife Lily May, elder daughter of Sir James Roberts, 1st bt., of Milner Field (Yorks WR), born 23 April 1905. Educated at Charterhouse School and Jesus College, Cambridge (BA 1925). A director of the National Provincial Bank Ltd., Bradford division; Chairman of the Yorkshire Ramie Spinning Co., c.1947-52. He succeeded his father as 2nd baronet, 31 December 1949. He was unmarried and without issue.He inherited Birstwith Hall from his father in 1949. At his death it passed with the baronetcy to his nephew, Sir James Alexander Frederic Aykroyd (b. 1943).He died 23 June 1993 and was buried at Hampsthwaite (Yorks WR); his will was proved 13 December 1993 (estate £2,243,421).Aykroyd, Bertram (1915-83). Third son of Sir Frederick Alfred Aykroyd (1873-1949), 1st bt., and his wife Lily May, elder daughter of Sir James Roberts, 1st bt., of Milner Field (Yorks WR), born 17 September 1915. Educated at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Cambridge. Served in Second World War as an officer in Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (Capt.; mentioned in despatches). He married 1st, 5 October 1938 (div. 1947), Margot (1918-2007), elder daughter of Leonard Graham-Bowen, and 2nd, 28 September 1949, Catalina (b. 1923), only daughter of Henry Marchington, and had issue:(1.1) Jean Margaret Elizabeth Aykroyd (b. 1940), born 2 March 1940; married 1st, 8 September 1962 (div. 1971), Michael Frederick David Morley, elder son of Brig. Michael Frederick Morley MBE and had issue two sons; married 2nd, 1984, Col. Timothy John Seymour Eastwood; now living;(1.2) Sir James Alexander Frederic Aykroyd (b. 1943), 3rd bt. (q.v.);(2.1) Jeremy Charles Aykroyd (1950-82), born 28 July 1950; educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge; died unmarried, Oct-Dec. 1982;(2.2) Rachel Aykroyd (b. 1952), born 14 March 1952; married, 1981 (div. 2002), Charles Patrick Helmore (who m2, 24 May 2003, Harriet S. de Bianchi Cossart), and had issue two sons; now living;(2.3) Toby Nigel Bertram Aykroyd (b. 1955), born 13 November 1955; educated at Eton and St. Catherine's College, Cambridge (MA); heir presumptive to the baronetcy; married, 2005, Rona Louise, daughter of Gordon William Valentine Birnie of Inverdruie House (Inverness) and had issue one son; now living.He lived at Treyford Manor (Sussex).He died 13 December 1983; his will was proved 17 April 1984 (estate £153,008). His first wife married 2nd, 1947, Roy Smith MC (d. 1983) of Well Hall, Bedale (Yorks), was appointed a Dame of the British Empire for her work for the Conservative Party, and died 8 May 2007. His widow was living in 2015.Aykroyd, Sir James Alexander Frederic (b. 1943), 3rd bt. Only son of Bertram Aykroyd (1915-83) and his first wife, Dame Margaret Smith, elder daughter of Leonard Graham-Bowen, born 6 September 1943. Educated at Eton, and the universities of Aix-en-Provence and Madrid. He succeeded his uncle as 3rd baronet, 23 June 1993. With James Buchanan & Co Ltd., 1965-83 (export director); managing director of Martini & Rossi SA, 1983-87; senior partner in Aykroyd Marketing Consultants since 1987; chairman of Alexander Muir & Son since 1993 and of Speyside Distillery since 2001. He married, 1973, Jennifer, daughter of Dr. Frederick William Marshall of Porthcawl (Glam.) and had issue:(1) Gemma Jane Aykroyd (b. 1976); married, 2013, Gary Hayes;(2) Victoria Louise Aykroyd (b. 1977); married, 2006, Toby Richard Hayes (b. 1975), son of Francis Brian Hayes of Cagebrook House (Herefs).He inherited Birstwith Hall from his uncle in 1993, and remodelled it in 1994-96.Now living.

Friday, 21 April 2017

The Awdrys were a middle class family of clothiers and tradesmen, established in Melksham by the Rev. John Awdry, who was vicar there in the early 17th century. John's great-great-grandson, Ambrose Awdry (1664-1738) bought land at Seend in 1695 and began the family's transition into the gentry. He married Mary Selfe, the daughter of another local clothier of similar status to himself, and their son, Ambrose Awdry (1693-1766) expanded the landholding at Seend and bought the manor of Seend Row. By 1729 he was styling himself 'gentleman' and the family house at Seend became known as the Manor House. Ambrose (d. 1766) married his first cousin, Jane Awdry, and their children took the next step up the ladder when they inherited the property of her brother, Jeremiah Awdry (d. 1754), at Norton St. Philip, Melksham and Broughton Giffard. Ambrose and Jane's eldest son, Ambrose Awdry (1729-89) inherited the manor house at Seend and substantially rebuilt it in 1767 in a fashionable Palladian style, but unfortunately a propensity to high living and perhaps to gambling led him into serious debt. It is said that he was outlawed for debt in 1783, although I have seen no hard evidence of that, but he certainly died abroad and it took his son, yet another Ambrose Awdry (1762-1842) some years to pay off his father's debts and recover possession of his property. The younger son of Ambrose (d. 1766), John Awdry (1732-1802), was more successful, and established a second branch of the family based at Notton House, Lacock.Ambrose Awdry (1762-1842) recovered possession of Seend Manor House in 1794, but he later let it to tenants again, the family presence in Seend being maintained by his younger brother, Capt. Peter Awdry (1766-1826), who was living at Manor Cottage by 1820. Ambrose (d. 1842) was married but had no children, and at his death his property passed to Peter Awdry's surviving son, Ambrose Awdry (1816-90). He installed his widowed mother and the widow of Ambrose (d. 1842), who were sisters, in the manor house, and lived at Manor Cottage. After the two widows died within a few days of one another in 1852, he let the Manor House to Admiral Montague (d. 1882) and himself moved to a house in Bath, where he lived for many years. When he died in 1890 the Seend Manor estate passed to his son, Ambrose Awdry (1843-90), who died a few months later, and then to his grandson, Delmé Henry Seymour Awdry (1869-1956), who usually let the house (though he lived in it for a few years around 1920) and seems to have sold it to Reginald Morgan-Smith (later Weld-Smith) in about 1924. His children were practical farmers, and their connections to Seend were sentimental rather than manorial.John Awdry (1732-1802) was the principal beneficiary of his uncle Jeremiah's will in 1754, and he probably inherited a further share of his uncle's property from his younger brother, Jeremiah Awdry (1737-58). In 1766 he purchased Notton House at Lacock (Wilts) and around the same time he also leased a house in Pall Mall, London, from the Crown. In the 1770s he was much involved with local electoral politics, as election agent for his brother-in-law, Ambrose Goddard MP. In contrast with his brother at Seend, however, he seems to have lived within his means and when his son John Awdry (1766-1844) let Notton House in 1814 it was because he had been ordered by his doctors to seek a milder climate rather than for financial reasons. He apparently went to live on the south coast, and when he returned to Wiltshire later in life he leased a house at South Wraxall with his wife and two unmarried daughters, where he was the victim of a daring night-time burglary in 1841.The son and heir of John Awdry (d. 1844) was Sir John Wither Awdry (1795-1878), kt., who after a decade as an academic lawyer and a Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, was knighted and sent out to India as a judge in 1831. Sir John retired from his posts in India in 1841 and apparently occupied and remodelled Notton House on his return, adding wings which were no doubt useful in accommodating his exceptionally large family. For reasons which are not clear, his property at Notton House descended not to his heir apparent but to his fourth son, Charles Awdry (1847-1912), who after an initial legal training spent his whole adult life working for W.H. Smith & Son, the newsagents, ending up as the senior active partner in the firm. He let Notton House by 1890 and lived in Shaw Hill and East Lavington Manor nearby. He left a substantial fortune (over a quarter of a million pounds) at his death in 1912, but his estate was divided among his surviving children.

Hitchambury Manor, Taplow (Bucks): a house of the 1860sbought by C.S. Awdry in 1909

A younger son of John Awdry (d. 1844) was Henry Goddard Awdry (1804-81), who was a solicitor, and married the daughter and heir of the Rev. Kenrick Peck of Notton Lodge, a gabled five-bay house, chiefly of the 18th and early 19th centuries, close to Notton House. His nephew, Charles Awdry (1847-1912), seems to have purchased Notton Lodge, perhaps after his uncle died in 1881, and left it to his eldest son, Charles Selwyn Awdry (1877-1918), who had also bought Hitchambury Manor at Taplow (Bucks) in 1909. After he was killed in the last year of the First World War, C.S. Awdry's widow continued to live at Hitchambury until her death in 1946, while Notton Lodge became the home of their eldest son, Charles Edwin Awdry (1906-65) when he came of age. Notton House was let to long-term tenants until 1949, when it was sold to the Mid-Wilts Hospital Management Committee as a nurse training school. Since 1972 it was been a special school for boys. Hitchambury was apparently sold after 1946 and Notton Lodge between 1951 and 1965, bringing to a close the Awdry family's 250 years as a landed family in Wiltshire.

Seend Manor House, Wiltshire

The manorial history of Seend, which was originally a hamlet in the large parish of Melksham, is complex and not entirely clear. There were several manorial or reputedly manorial properties in the hamlet, and this may explain why it is so full of good houses today. The three manors of Seend, Seend Row and Woodrow were held together from the mid 16th century, and their descent can be traced down to 1723, when they were the property of Sir John Fortescue-Aland (1670-1746), later 1st Baron Fortescue of Credan, in right of his second wife. The distinction between the different manors at Seend seems to have been forgotten during the 17th and 18th centuries, perhaps because they were in the same ownership or because whatever manorial rights existed seem to have lapsed around this time.

Seend Manor: the south-facing rear range of 1767-68

The house now known as the Manor House was built for Ambrose Awdry (1664-1738) between 1695 and 1701 and was probably not originally attached to any of the manors, although the Awdrys did subsequently acquire the manor of Seend Row. The original house may be represented by the north-facing front range of the present double pile house, which is lower than the south-facing rear range. The rear range seems to correspond with a recorded rebuilding in 1767-68 by Ambrose Awdry (1729-89), and has a fine five-bay two-storey front, an elaborately decorated end elevation with a pediment and blind windows set against the chimneystack on the gable end, and fine ground floor rooms with plaster friezes and panelled doors in heavy pedimented surrounds. The dining room to the east has a large marble fireplace with a pulvinated frieze; the drawing room, a parti-coloured marble fireplace with scrolled jambs. The staircase, with turned balusters, projects into the front range and has an externally-expressed hipped roof, which has led several previous commentators to the view that the north range is a later addition built around a staircase projection on the north side of the 1768 block. There are several objections to this suggestion, of which the most telling are that the ground floor of the 1768 block had no space for an entrance hall; and that the window spacing of the north range either side of the porch is different, strongly suggesting earlier origins for at least part of this range. The present north front, which is plastered with an ashlar plinth and dressings, is evidently the result of a remodelling in the early 19th century, and has blank arches over the ground floor windows and a central tripartite window on the first floor.

Seend Manor: entrance front, probably a range of c.1700 that was altered and refenestrated in about 1820.

The work of the 1760s probably also includes the fine stable court west of the house, with buildings round three sides of a rectangle. In the centre, facing the street, is a pedimented block with a rusticated central archway and a cupola above. The present owners have created a fine new garden in the old walled garden to the east of the house, to the designs of Julian and Isobel Bannerman.Descent: Ambrose Awdry (1664-1738); to son, Ambrose Awdry (1693-1766); to son, Ambrose Awdry (1729-89); to son, Ambrose Awdry (1762-1842); to nephew, Ambrose Awdry (1816-90), who leased it to Admiral John William Montague (c.1790-1882) and later James Mackay (1847-1914); to son, Ambrose Awdry (1843-90); to son, Delmé Henry Seymour Awdry (1869-1956), who sold the house c.1924 to Reginald Morgan-Smith (later Weld-Smith) (d. 1964)....Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Clark (fl. 2016).

Notton House, Lacock, Wiltshire

Notton House

The house was probably built about 1742 for Edward Montagu, who told John Awdry he had occupied it for 24 years when he sold it to him in 1766. The house was then refronted and extended later, probably in the 1840s for Sir John Wither Awdry (1795-1878), kt, who moved in on returning from India in 1841. The result is a house of squared rubble stone with ashlar dressings, a low pitched slate roof and ashlar chimneystacks. It has a three-storey, three-bay centre, representing the 18th century house, which is connected by narrow one-bay links to broad one-bay pavilions, representing the 19th century additions. The centre has flush quoins, a first-floor platband, moulded cornice and parapet, and the first floor windows have heavily detailed cornices and balconies. In the centre is an open porch with paired unfluted Greek Doric columns supporting an entablature and a balustrade. The links have tripartite segment-headed windows on the ground-floor and narrow segment-headed windows above, and the end pavilions have similar details to the outer bays of the central block.At the rear, the back of the left-hand pavilion has a plain three-bay facade, but behind the centre and the right-hand pavilion is a mid 18th century six-bay front with raised ashlar dressings, a small cornice and ashlar parapet. The third bay is slightly advanced, with raised quoins and a pediment set against the parapet, and all the windows have unusual small keystones. At the north-west angle an orangery of 1901-02 projects, with a three-bay front of Roman Doric columns and a lean-to roof supported on a coped screen wall. Behind the screen wall is a projecting gabled 'chapel' of rubble stone, with a late medieval canopied niche, an 18th century Gothick two-light window, and an octagonal timber cupola. The building may have been built with salvaged materials from Lackham House, demolished in 1791.Inside, the house has fielded panelling in the front hall and first-floor centre rooms, as well as two mid 18th century bolection-moulded fireplaces and a mid 18th century staircase with turned balusters and a panelled dado. The staircase hall in the link to the south pavilion has Regency-style plasterwork, and the window and door furniture in the south pavilion is of the same period. In 1814 the house comprised an entrance hall, library, dining room, two parlours and service accommodation on the ground floor and a drawing room, seven principal bedrooms and two dressing rooms on the first floor.Descent: Edward Montagu sold 1766 to John Awdry (1732-1802); to son, John Awdry (1766-1844), who leased it from 1814 to tenants including John Dugdale Astley (fl. 1819-27), Rev. J. Matthews (fl. 1833) -who ran a small school here - and J. Anstey (fl. 1835-38); to son, Sir John Wither Awdry (1795-1878), kt.; to son, Charles Awdry (1847-1912); to son, Charles Selwyn Awdry (1877-1918); to son, Charles Edwin Awdry (1906-65). The house was leased from c.1890 to tenants including E.A. Hankey (fl. 1903-35), and later H.D. Thorneycroft (d. c.1949). It was sold 1949 to Mid-Wilts Hospital Management Committee for use as a nurse training school; sold 1972 as a residential special school for boys.

Awdry family of Seend

Awdry, Ambrose (1627-1701?), Son of Godwyn Awdry and his wife Alice Holmes, and grandson of Rev. John Awdry (d. 1639), baptised at Melksham, 12 March 1627/8. Grocer at Devizes and Melksham. He married 1st, 20 May 1656 at Melksham, Cesill, daughter of Jeremiah Gough, and 2nd, 1675, Jane Webb of Devizes, and had issue including:(1.1) John Awdry (1657-98) (q.v.);(1.2) Ambrose Awdry (1664-1739) (q.v.);(1.3) Jeremiah Awdry (b. 1665), baptised at Melksham, 26 May 1665; married, 27 May 1696 at St Giles Cripplegate, London, Katherine Lamport, and had issue.He lived at Melksham.He was probably the person of this name buried at Melksham, 15 May 1701.Awdry, John (1657-98). Elder son of Ambrose Awdry (1627-1701?) and his wife Cesill, daughter of Jeremiah Gough, baptised at Melksham, 22 October 1657. Clothier at Melksham. He married, c.1685, Judith Whitaker (1667-1731) and had issue:(1) Unity Awdry (1685-1704), baptised at Melksham, 7 January 1685/6; died unmarried, 24 February 1703/4;(2) John Awdry (1687-1703), baptised at Melksham, 16 September 1687; died young, 10 October 1703;(3) Martha Awdry (1689-1768), baptised at Melksham, 17 September 1689; died unmarried and was buried at Melksham, 7 July 1768; will proved 3 August 1769;(4) Jane Awdry (1691-1769); married her cousin, Ambrose Awdry (1693-1766) (q.v.);(5) Ambrose Awdry (1693-1729), baptised at Melksham, 8 June 1693; married and had issue two daughters; died 10 March 1728/9;(6) Jeremiah Awdry (1694-1754), baptised at Melksham, 6 October 1694; owned property at Norton St Philip (Somerset), Melksham and Broughton Giffard (Wilts) and at the time of his death he was in the process of purchasing a lease of the rectory manor of Melksham; his property mostly passed to his nephew, John Awdry (1732-1802) of Notton House (q.v.); he died 11 October and was buried at Melksham, 25 October 1754; will proved 8 November 1754.He lived at Melksham.He died 6 May 1698 and was buried at Melksham, where he is commemorated by a monument. His widow died 8 January 1730/1 and was buried at Melksham.Awdry, Ambrose (1664-1739). Younger son of Ambrose Awdry (1627-1701?) and his wife Cesill, daughter of Jeremiah Gough. Clothier. He married, 1691, Mary (d. 1719), daughter of Isaac Selfe of Place House, Melksham (Wilts), and had issue:(1) Ambrose Awdry (1693-1766) (q.v.);(2) Anne Awdry (b. 1696; fl. 1735), baptised 18 February 1695/6; married, 23 June 1715 at Salisbury Cathedral, George Penney of Faringdon (Dorset);(3) Elizabeth Awdry (1697-1751), baptised at Seend, 9 November 1697; married, 16 August 1716, Ambrose Goddard (1695-1755) of Swindon, and had issue five sons and five daughters; died 11 October 1751;(4) Mary Awdry (1703-75), baptised 23 April 1703; died unmarried and was buried at Melksham, 4 February 1775;(5) Jane Awdry (1706-80), baptised 30 May 1706; died unmarried and was buried at Melksham, 4 October 1780.In 1695 he was the first of the family to acquire property at Seend, and by 1701 he had built a 'mansion house' with brewhouse, dairy, stable etc. which is probably to be identified with the later Manor House.He died 9 January 1738/9 and was buried at Melksham; his will was proved 27 June 1739. His wife died 29 June and was buried at Melksham, 2 July 1719.Awdry, Ambrose (1693-1766). Only son of Ambrose Awdry (1664-1739) and his wife Mary, daughter of Isaac Selfe of Place House, Melksham (Wilts), born 1693. Gentleman clothier. Churchwarden, overseer of the poor and trustee of parish lands at Seend. He married, 14 January 1724, his cousin, Jane (1691-1769), daughter of John Awdry of Melksham, and had issue:(1) Mary Awdry (1725-1800), born 3 February 1724/5 and baptised at Seend 25 February 1725/6; died unmarried, 17 March, and was buried at Seend, 25 March 1800; will proved 9 June 1800;(2) Ambrose Awdry (1726-27), born 13 May and baptised at Seend, 9 June 1726; died in infancy and was buried at Seend, 9 March 1726/7;(3) Jane Awdry (b. & d. 1728), born 14 June and baptised at Seend, 16 July 1728; died in infancy;(4) Ambrose Awdry (1729-89) (q.v.);(5) Jane Awdry (1730-1800), baptised at Seend, 5 January 1730/1; died unmarried and was buried at Seend, 20 January 1800;(6) John Awdry (1732-1802) of Notton House [for whom, see below, under Awdry of Notton House];(7) Jeremiah Awdry (1737-58), born 6 February and baptised 9 March 1736/7; inherited the property of his maternal uncle and namesake at Norton St. Philip (Somerset); died unmarried at Melksham, 8 March 1758.He inherited property at Seend from his father in 1738 and expanded the estate there, including the purchase of the manor of Seend Row.He died 14 May and was buried at Seend 23 May 1766. His widow died 22 August, and was buried at Seend, 29 August 1769.Awdry, Ambrose (1729-89). Elder son of Ambrose Awdry (1693-1766) and his wife Jane, daughter of John Awdry of Melksham, born 5 October and baptised at Seend, 31 October 1729. Educated at Oriel College, Oxford (matriculated 1746). He became heavily indebted, probably as a result of gambling, and in 1783 is said to have been outlawed for debt at the suit of Thomas and Wadham Locke. He married, 17 December 1761 at Erle Stoke (Wilts), Christiana (1743-85), daughter of Peter Delmé of Erle Stoke Park (Wilts), and had issue, possibly amongst others:(1) Ambrose Awdry (1762-1842) (q.v.);(2) Christian (f.) Awdry (1764-1841), born 5 August and baptised at Erle Stoke, 10 August 1764; died unmarried at Chippenham, 8 May 1841 and was buried at Seend;(3) Capt. Peter Awdry (1766-1826) (q.v.);(4) John Awdry (1768-82), baptised at St Andrew, Holborn (Middx), 25 June 1768; died young, 1782;(5) Elizabeth Awdry (1769-78), baptised at Seend, 6 January 1770; died young, 7 April and was buried at Seend, 13 April 1778, where she is commemorated by a monument;(6) Georgiana Awdry (1776-1860), born 1 March and baptised at St James, Westminster, 25 March 1776; married, 15 April 1800 at Chippenham, her kinsman Dr. James Henry Arnold LLD (c.1758-1836) of Doctor's Commons, vicar-general of the province of Canterbury, chancellor of the diocese of Worcester, and advocate to the Admiralty, but had no issue; died 5 October 1860; will proved 17 January 1861 (effects under £30,000);(8) William Henry Awdry (1778-1847), born 1 December 1778 and baptised at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster (Middx), 16 January 1779; married, 7 September 1801 at Southbroom, Eliza (1784-1871), daughter of Dr. West Hill MD of Devizes, and had issue eight sons and one daughter; buried at Hardenhuish (Wilts), 14 October 1847; will proved 5 January 1848;(9) Matthew Arnold Awdry (b. & d. 1781), baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, 28 June 1781; died in infancy;(10) Rev. Charles Awdry (1784-1840), born 23 August 1784; educated at St Mary Hall, Oxford (matriculated 1808; BA 1812); ordained deacon, 1812; curate of Kington St. Michael (Wilts), 1812; died unmarried, 5 May 1840; will proved 28 May 1840.He inherited Seend Manor House from his father in 1766 and remodelled it in 1767, but it is said to have been seized by the Crown in 1783 when he was outlawed for debt and let to a Mr. Burton.He died abroad, 22 January 1789 but was commemorated by a monument at Seend. His wife died 7 May 1785 and was also commemorated on a monument at Seend.Awdry, Ambrose (1762-1842). Eldest son of Ambrose Awdry (1729-89) and his wife Christiana (d. 1785), daughter of Peter Delmé of Erle Stoke Park (Wilts), born 12 August and baptised at Erle Stoke, 30 September 1762. An officer in 45th foot (Ensign; retired 1784) and the Wiltshire militia (Capt., 1787; Maj., 1803). In 1799 he and two other officers in the Wiltshire militia successfully obtained the dismissal of their Lt-Col. after a court martial agreed with their allegation that he had maliciously sought to incite their exclusion from the regimental mess. JP and DL for Wiltshire by 1803; High Sheriff of Wiltshire, 1821; Churchwarden of Seend, 1812-29. He was one of the promoters of the development of a spa at Melksham, 1814, and steward of the Melksham subscription concerts and balls, 1817. He married, 6 August 1789 at Chippenham (Wilts), Hannah (1766-1852), daughter of Anthony Guy of Chippenham, but had no issue.He inherited what was left of his father's estate at Seend in 1789. He sold some land under a Chancery decree in 1793 and recovered possession of Seend Manor House the following year. At his death he was succeeded by his nephew, Ambrose Awdry (1816-90), although the house was occupied by his widow and his widowed sister-in-law until they died within a few days of one another in 1852.He died 15 June 1842 and was buried at Seend, 25 June, where he is commemorated by a monument. His widow died 11 March 1852 and was buried at Seend, 18 March; her will was proved in the PCC, 1 April 1852.

Capt. Peter Awdry (1766-1826)

Awdry, Capt. Peter (1766-1826). Second son of Ambrose Awdry (1729-89) and his wife Christiana, daughter of Peter Delmé of Erle Stoke Park (Wilts), born at Seend House, 6 August and baptised at Erle Stoke, 3 September 1766. DL for Wiltshire. An officer in the 17th Foot (Ensign; Lt., 1791) and Wiltshire Yeomanry (Capt. of Melksham troop). He married 1st, 16 May 1794 at Maiden Bradley (Somerset), Hester Maria (1770-95), only daughter of Lord William Seymour, and 2nd, 2 November 1813 at Chippenham (Wilts), Elizabeth (1776-1852), daughter of Anthony Guy of Chippenham (Wilts), and had issue:(1.1) Frederick Seymour Awdry (1795-1803), baptised aged 5 at Seend, 20 February 1801; died young, 8 August 1803;(2.1) Elizabeth Awdry (1814-79), born 23 August and baptised at Chippenham, 27 October 1814; married, 16 April 1846 at Seend, Rev. Alstone William Radcliffe (1810-98), rector of North Newnton (Wilts), son of Rev. Dr. George Radcliffe, prebendary of Salisbury, and had issue eight sons and two daughters; died 13 January 1879 and was buried at Seend;(2.2) Ambrose Awdry (1816-90) (q.v.);(2.3) Ellen Seymour Awdry (1819-1902), born 22 April 1819 and baptised at Chippenham, 4 January 1820; married, 16 September 1851 at Seend, Rev. Edward Everett (1815-95), rector of Manningford Abbots (Wilts), son of Joseph Hague Everett of Biddesden (Wilts), and had issue two sons and one daughter; died at Southsea (Hants), 4 December 1902; her will was proved 15 April 1903 (estate £703).He lived latterly at Manor Cottage, Seend, which was bequeathed to him in 1820 by the Rev. Edward Seymour, his first wife's brother.He died 'after a long and severe illness', 1 June 1826 and was buried at Seend, where he is commemorated by a monument. His first wife probably died in childbirth and was buried at Taunton, 24 November 1795. His widow died 29 March 1852; her will was proved at Salisbury.Awdry, Ambrose (1816-90). Only son of Capt. Peter Awdry (1771-1826) and his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Anthony Guy of Chippenham (Wilts), born 14 September 1816. Educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford (matriculated 1837). JP and DL for Wiltshire and a member of the Bathwick Burial Board, but otherwise 'being of a retiring disposition [and] preferring the quiet of private life' he held few public offices. He married, 24 October 1839 at Bathwick (Somerset), Eliza (1818-1905), daughter of George Bunter Clapcott of Winterbourne Clenston (Dorset) and had issue:(1) Fanny Eliza Awdry (1841-1927), baptised at Dawlish (Devon), 8 November 1841; married 1st, 30 April 1867 at Bathwick, Col. Henry Heyman, and 2nd, 19 April 1881, Thomas Dodson Salisbury (1832-92), son of Edward Dodson Salisbury of Middleton Towers (Lancs), and had issue two sons; died at Hove (Sussex), 20 October 1927; will proved 21 December 1927 (estate £10,408);(2) Ambrose Awdry (1843-90) (q.v.);(3) Ellen Louisa Awdry (1845-1903), baptised at Seend, 19 January 1845; married, 18 April 1872 at Bathwick, Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (1824-84), barrister and author, of Wydale, Brompton (Yorks), son of Edward Stillingfleet Cayley MP, but had no issue; died at Scarborough, 10 May 1903; will proved 13 July 1903 (estate £19,377);(4) George Seymour Awdry (1846-47), baptised at Seend, 18 November 1846 but died in infancy, 25 February 1847 and was buried at Seend;(5) Rev. Edward Seymour Awdry (1850-1936), born 2 August 1850; educated at Salisbury Theological College; ordained deacon, 1875 and priest, 1876; curate of Powerstock (Dorset), 1875-80, Pewsey (Wilts), 1880-82 and Canford Magna (Dorset), 1882-85; rector of Allington (Wilts), 1887-95 but was non-resident; lived for many years at Manor Cottage, Seend; married, 16 October 1886 at Market Lavington (Wilts), Alicia Hay, daughter of Capt. Charles James Balfour RN and niece of Arthur Balfour MP, but had no issue; died after some years as an invalid, 28 March 1936 and was buried at Seend; will proved 12 June 1936 (estate £7,428);(6) Henry Shield Awdry (1851-1929), born 3 October and baptised at Seend, 29 October 1851; possessed of 'a genial and gentle nature', his interests included philately and he was unmarried; he died at Bath, 4 May 1929 and was buried in the family vault in Bathwick Cemetery; administration of his goods was granted 26 November 1929 (estate £398);(7) Rosa Margaret Awdry (1854-98), born Oct-Dec 1854 and baptised at Seend, 31 March 1855; lived with her widowed sister, Ellen, and died unmarried at Wydale, Brompton (Yorks), of peritonitis, 18 December 1898; will proved 25 February 1899 (effects £1,013);(8) Peter Delmé Awdry (1855-56), baptised at Bathwick, 26 December 1855, but died in infancy, Jan-Mar 1856;(9) Frederick Septimus Awdry (1857-77), born 11 November and baptised at Bathwick, 20 December 1857; emigrated to Maryborough, Queensland (Australia), where he worked on Charleville plantation, and died unmarried from injuries received during a fall from his horse, 28 October 1877; his will was proved in Queensland;(10) May Delmé Awdry (1865-1940), born Oct-Dec 1865 and baptised at Bathwick, 28 February 1866; lived at Bath; died unmarried, 26 October 1940.He inherited Manor Cottage from his father in 1826 and Seend Manor House from his uncle in 1842. The Manor House was occupied by his mother and aunt until their deaths in 1852, after which he let it to Vice-Admiral John Montague (d. 1882). He also owned a house in Bath (35 Pulteney St.) where he lived for many years.He died in Bath, 20 February and was buried at Bathwick, 25 February 1890; will proved 30 May 1890 (effects £4,317). His widow died 11 October 1905; her will was proved 29 November 1905 (estate £243).Awdry, Ambrose (1843-90). Eldest son of Ambrose Awdry (1816-90) and his wife Eliza, daughter of George Bunter Clapcott of Winterbourne Clenston (Dorset), born 9 March and baptised at Seend, 28 March 1843. An employee of the American Commissariat in Argentina, c.1865-77. He married, 23 July 1868 in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Frances Grace, third daughter of Joseph Gabbert Studdert of Woodburn (Clare) and had issue:(1) Delmé Henry Seymour Awdry (1869-1956) (q.v.);(2) Fanny Eliza (Leta) Awdry (1872-1952), born at Cordoba (Argentina), 1872; married, 29 August 1899 at Limpley Stoke, Edward Eccles Irving (1873-1962), schoolmaster, son of Canon Irving of Sefton Park, Liverpool, and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 10 March 1952; administration of goods granted 16 April 1952 (estate £146);(3) Robert Frederick Henry Awdry (1878-1947), born at Perth (Perthshire), 23 January 1878; an officer in the Wiltshire Regiment (Capt.) who served in the First World War; lived at Manor Cottage, Seend; married, Apr-Jun 1903, Harriet Maud (1875-1958), daughter of James A. Berry, commercial traveller, of Southcot House, Bath, and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 6 December 1947; will proved 18 June 1948 (estate £516).He lived at Bathwick Hill, Bath. He inherited Seend Manor House from his father in February 1890 but died shortly afterwards.He died 19 July 1890; his will was proved 31 October 1890 (effects £413). His wife's date of death is unknown.Awdry, Delmé Henry Seymour (1869-1956). Elder son of Ambrose Awdry (1843-90) and his wife Frances Grace, third daughter of Joseph Gabbert Studdert of Woodburn (Clare), born at Cordoba (Argentina), 1869. He married, 20 July 1904 at Widcombe, Bath (Somerset), Maria Grace (1869-1951), daughter of James Alexander Berry of Southcot House, Bath, and had issue:(1) Delmé Radcliffe Awdry (1905-81), born 22 August 1905; dairy farmer at Gastard Court Farm (Wilts) in 1939 and Rayberrow Farm, Nettleton (Wilts) in 1950; died Oct-Dec 1981;(2) Lionel Studdert Awdry (1907-96), born 15 January 1907; 'incapacitated' in 1939; died 3 July 1996 and was buried at Seend; will proved 17 August 1996;(3) Robert Charles Awdry (1908-83), born 9 August 1908; working as a cowman at Upton-on-Severn (Worcs) in 1939; married, Jan-Mar 1933, Ivy Louisa Geraldine Lloyd (1910-86), and had issue; died at Lydney (Glos), 9 December 1983; administration of goods granted 23 February 1994 (estate under £40,000);(4) Francis James Michael Awdry (1911-90), born 15 November 1911; dairy farmer at Gastard Court Farm (Wilts) in 1939; died at Farnham (Surrey), 5 July 1990; will proved 28 August 1990 (estate under £115,000).He inherited Seend Manor House from his father in 1890 but except for a brief period around 1920 did not occupy it. He sold it to Reginald Morgan-Smith (later Weld-Smith), probably c.1924. He lived in various rented properties around Wiltshire: in 1907 Elmhirst, Bradford-on-Avon (Wilts); in 1911-15, Asserton House, Berwick St. John (Wilts); in 1939, Gastard Court Farm, and at his death New Mill, Pewsey (Wilts). He also purchased Beech House, Seend.He died 19 February 1956 and was buried at Seend; his will was proved 23 April 1956 (estate £2,997). His wife died 5 February 1951 and was buried at Seend.

Awdry family of Notton

Awdry, John (1732-1802). Second son of Ambrose Awdry (fl. 1724) and his wife Jane, daughter of John Awdry of Melksham, baptised at Seend, 27 October 1732. JP and DL for Wiltshire; High Sheriff of Wiltshire, 1791-92; an officer in the Wiltshire Militia (Capt.) and Wiltshire Gentlemen & Yeomanry Cavalry (Maj.; Lt-Col., 1801). In 1772 and 1774 he acted as agent for his brother-in-law, Ambrose Goddard, in parliamentary elections for Wiltshire (Goddard was elected and served until 1806). He married 1st, 25 June 1765, Priscilla (1734-68), daughter of Ambrose Goddard of Swindon; 2nd, 12 March 1770 at Lacock, Mary (1740-71), daughter of James Masse; and 3rd, 5 October 1772 at Easton Grey (Wilts), Sarah Susannah (1738-1816), daughter of Thomas Roston of Barton (Staffs) and widow of Rev. James Derbishire, prebendary of Chester Cathedral, and had issue:(1.1) John Awdry (1766-1844) (q.v.);(1.2) Elizabeth Awdry (1767-69), baptised at Lacock, 29 August 1767, but died in infancy, 9 April 1769 and was buried at Seend;(3.1) Rev. Jeremiah Awdry (1774-1859), baptised at Lacock, 21 June 1774; educated at Oriel College, Oxford (matriculated 1791; BA 1795; MA 1798); ordained deacon, 1797 and priest, 1798; curate of Hardenhuish (Wilts), 1797-98; vicar of Felsted (Essex), 1798-1859, which he served through curates while living in Wiltshire (where he leased Seagry House for a time) and later in and around Bath; married 1st, 31 May 1799 at Swindon (Wilts), Maria Emelia (1776-1814), eldest daughter of J. May of Hale House (Hants) and had issue two sons and five daughters; married 2nd, 6 October 1823 at St Michael, Salisbury (Wilts), Rosina Osborne (1790-1830), only daughter of Capt. Weller of Bengal service, and had issue one daughter; married 3rd, 10 September 1835 at St Swithin, Walcot, Bath (Somerset), Mary Sibella, eldest daughter of John Wilkinson of Springfield, Bath (Somerset) and had issue two daughters; he died 4 February and was buried at Bathwick (Somerset), 10 February 1859; will proved 29 March 1859 (effects under £20,000).He was heir to the property of his maternal uncle, Jeremiah Awdry (1694-1754) at Melksham and Broughton Gifford (Wilts). He purchased Notton House, Lacock in 1766 and leased a house in Pall Mall from the Crown in 1766-67.He died 11 May 1802; his will was proved 3 July 1802. His first wife died at Lisbon (Portugal), 2 December 1768. His second wife died 22 February 1771. His widow died at Codford St. Peter (Wilts), 1 January 1816.

John Awdry (1766-1844)

Awdry, John (1766-1844). Only son of John Awdry (1732-1802) and his first wife, Priscilla, daughter of Ambrose Goddard of Swindon, born 7 April and baptised at Melksham, 6 May 1766. Educated at Winchester and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1786). JP and DL for Wiltshire; Receiver General of Taxes for Wiltshire, 1804-after 1831; an officer in the Wiltshire militia (Capt., 1794) and in Wiltshire Gentlemen & Yeomanry Cavalry (Cornet, 1803; Lt., 1803). He promoted the enclosure of the commons of Melksham and Seend, 1812 and the development of Melksham as a spa, 1814, and was Vice-President of the Wiltshire Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture, 1813. He married, 15 January 1795 at Wootton St. Lawrence (Hants), Jane (1774-1846), second daughter of Lovelace Bigg (later Bigg-Wither) of Chilton Foliat and Manydown Park (Hants), and had issue:(1) Sir John Wither Awdry (1795-1878), kt. (q.v.);(2) Jane Awdry (1797-1872), born 16 August and baptised at Swindon, 28 August 1797; married, 5 June 1827 at Lacock, Rev. William Short (c.1791-1878), vicar of Chippenham (Wilts) and later rector of St. George the Martyr, Queen Square, London and rector of Llandrinio (Montgomerys), and had issue three sons and three daughters; died July 1872;(3) Ambrose Awdry (1798-1826), born 18 December 1798 and baptised at Swindon, 22 January 1799; midshipman in Royal Navy; died unmarried at Notton House, 28 May, and was buried at Melksham, 3 June 1826;(4) Priscilla Awdry (1800-14), baptised at Wootton St Lawrence (Hants), 31 May 1800; died young at Weymouth, 1 June 1814, and was buried at Wyke Regis (Dorset);(5) Catherine Laura Awdry (1801-85), baptised at Swindon, 8 July 1801; married, 4 March 1837 at Byculla, Bombay (India), Frederick Stainforth (1810-45) of Bengal Civil Service and had issue two sons and one daughter; died at Bath, 20 May 1885; will proved 23 September 1885 (effects £2,735);(6) Rev. Charles Awdry (1802-74), born 19 December 1802 and baptised at Dawlish (Devon), 28 December 1802 and again at Lacock, 27 October 1803; educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford (matriculated 1822; BCL, 1828; MA 1856); Fellow and Bursar of New College, Oxford, 1828-40; rector of Worthen (Shrops), 1840-74; rural dean and prebendary of Hereford Cathedral, 1855-74; died 18 August 1874 and was buried at Worthen; will proved 19 September 1874 (effects under £25,000);(7) Henry Goddard Awdry (1804-81), born 21 August and baptised at Lacock, 24 August 1804; articled clerk to Joseph Maberly of Bedford Row, solicitor, 1822; solicitor; lived at Notton Lodge, Lacock, and later Bournemouth; married 1st, 10 April 1834, Mary (1809-52), daughter of Rev. Kenrick Peck of Notton Lodge and had issue four sons and three daughters; married 2nd, 2 January 1855 at Richmond (Surrey), Isabella (1821-64), daughter of Joseph Alexander Taylor, gent.; and 3rd, 30 November 1865 at Barnes (Surrey),Mary Edmonds (c.1837-1904), daughter of Henry Cremer, merchant; died 15 September 1881; will proved 12 December 1881 (effects £34,892);(8) Alethea Sophia Awdry (1806-82), baptised at Lacock, 10 April 1806; died unmarried, 12 September and was buried at Melksham, 16 September 1882; will proved 23 November 1882 (effects £9,468);(9) Margaret Lucy Awdry (1810-92), baptised at Lacock, 20 May 1810; died unmarried, 2 November, and was buried at Melksham, 8 November 1892; will proved 8 February 1893 (effects £10,446);(10) Rev. Walter Herbert Awdry (1812-75), born 1 August and baptised 3 September 1812; educated at Winchester, Exeter College and Magdalen Hall, Oxford (matriculated 1832; BA 1838; MA 1845); schoolmaster and curate to his brother Charles at Worthen and later at Stottesdon (Shropshire); moved before 1868 to Lezayre (Isle of Man), where he may have worked as a schoolmaster; married, 3 January 1854 at Rhayader (Radnor), Mary Llewellyn (c.1834-1916), daughter of Rev. John Evans, vicar of Rhayader, and had issue four sons and four daughters; died 26 February and was buried at Lezayre, 3 March 1875.He lived at Swindon (Wilts) until he inherited Notton House from his father in 1802. He let Notton from 1814 'being recommended to a milder climate' and lived later on the south coast and at South Wraxall (Wilts), where his house was the subject of an audacious burglary in December 1841.He died 29 December 1844 and was buried at Melksham, 3 January 1845; his will was proved in the PCC, 17 January 1845. His widow died at Bath (Somerset), 14 April 1846; her will was proved in the PCC, 5 June 1846.

Sir John Wither Awdry
(1795-1878)

Awdry, Sir John Wither (1795-1878), kt. Eldest son of John Awdry (1766-1844) and his wife Jane, second daughter of Lovelace Bigg (later Bigg-Wither) of Chilton Foliot and Manydown Park (Hants), born 21 October and baptised at Swindon (Wilts), 4 November 1795. Educated at Winchester, Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated, 1812; BA 1816; MA 1820; Hon. DCL, 1844) and Middle Temple (called to bar, 1822; bencher, 1830); Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, 1819-31; puisne judge and commissioner of the Insolvent Debtor's Court in Bombay, 1831-39; Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Judicature, Bombay, 1839-41; served as a commissioner under the Oxford University Reform Act, 1854 and for reporting on aspects of the law of Jersey, 1859; JP for Wiltshire from c.1842 (Chairman of Quarter Sessions, 1848-66) and DL for Wiltshire from 1852. Knight Bachelor, 1830. He married 1st, 29 June 1830 at Potterne (Wilts), his first cousin Sarah Maria (d. 1834), eldest daughter of Rev. Jeremiah Awdry of Seagry House (Wilts), vicar of Felsted (Essex), and 2nd, 28 July 1839 at Poona (India), Frances Ellen (1820-1900), second daughter of Rev. Dr. Thomas Carr DD, bishop of Bombay, and had issue:(1.1) John Jeremiah Awdry (1831-32), born at Bombay (India), 13 November 1831 but died in infancy, 19 August 1832;(1.2) Jane Awdry (1833-74), born 27 January and baptised at Malcolm, Bombay (India), 6 March 1833; married, 9 June 1857 at Lacock, the Hon. George Augustus Hobart (later Hobart-Hampden) (1827-99), fifth son of Augustus Edward Hobart (later Hobart-Hampden), 6th Earl of Buckinghamshire and had issue three sons and three daughters; died 24 December 1874;(1.3) John Awdry (1834-62), born 13 February and baptised at Bombay, 25 April 1834; educated at Winchester (admitted 1847) and Balliol College, Oxford (matriculated 1852); an officer in 3rd Foot, 1855-62 (Ensign, 1855; Lt., 1855); died unmarried, 10 January 1862; will proved 17 March 1862 (effects under £6,000);(2.1) Thomas Awdry (1840-1907), born 6 July 1840 and baptised at Bycullah, Bombay (India), 2 August 1840; educated at Winchester; after his marriage, he emigrated to New Zealand, where he established himself as a sheep farmer at Tadcroft near Wellington, and was a JP; he later returned to England and lived at Ardath, Salisbury (Wilts), where he became a member of the City Council and was involved in educational and welfare charities; married, 9 July 1872 at Chippenham (Wilts), Mary Olivier (1843-1924), daughter of West Awdry of Seend and had issue one son and three daughters; died 20 May 1907; will proved 16 August 1907 (estate £2,635);(2.2) Rt. Rev. William Awdry (1842-1910), born 24 January 1842; educated at Winchester and Balliol College, Oxford (matriculated 1861; BA 1865; MA 1867; rowing blue; Hon. DD); President of Oxford Union, 1866; ordained deacon, 1866 and priest, 1867; Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford, 1866-68; Second Master of Winchester College, 1868-72; headmaster of Hurstpierpoint College, 1873-79; principal of Chichester Theological College, 1879-86; canon of Chichester Cathedral, 1877, 1879-86; vicar of Amport (Hants), 1886-96; rural dean of Andover, 1893-95; suffragan bishop of Southampton, 1895-96; Bishop in Osaka (Japan), 1896-97 and in South Tokyo and Central Japan, 1897-1908; married, 4 August 1868, Frances Emily (1844-1921), sixth daughter of Rt. Rev. George Moberly, bishop of Salisbury, but had no issue; died at Winchester (Hants), 4 January 1910; will proved 5 February 1910 (estate £4,610);(2.3) Sarah Awdry (1843-92), baptised at Lacock, 26 March 1843; married, 2 January 1868, Rev. William Luke Walford (1841-68) but had no issue; died 3 December 1892;(2.4) Maj. Ambrose Awdry (1844-85), born 28 April 1844; an officer in the Royal Engineers (Lt., 1864; Capt., 1878; Maj., 1884); private secretary to the Governor of Madras, 1873-85; married, 24 September 1867, Cecil Georgina (c.1844-1932), second daughter of Henry Alworth Merewether QC and had issue one son and one daughter; died in a fall from his horse while hunting near Ootacamund (India), 18 May 1885 and was buried at Madras, where he is commemorated by a monument;(2.5) Frances Awdry (1845-1927), baptised 16 November 1845; died unmarried, 19 March 1927; will proved 4 May 1927 (estate £3,354);(2.6) Charles Awdry (1847-1912) (q.v.);(2.7) James Awdry (1848-94), born 8 September and baptised at Lacock, 10 October 1848; after his marriage, he emigrated to New Zealand, where he built a (surviving) house called Notton Lodge at Marton in 1885; married, 3 August 1876 at Lacock, Katharine Chittenden (1841-1926) and had issue two sons and two daughters; died in New Zealand, 7 November 1894 and was buried at Marton;(2.8) Elizabeth Awdry (1850-1929); married, 3 August 1876 at Lacock, Lionel Barrington Simeon (1852-96), engineer with Public Works Dept. in India, and had issue one son and four daughters; died 20 July 1929; will proved 14 November 1929 (estate £2,539);(2.9) Herbert Awdry (1851-1909), born 20 October 1851; educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford (matriculated 1870; BA 1874; MA 1877); Assistant Master at Wellington College, 1881-1908; admitted to British School at Athens (Greece), 1894/5; died unmarried at Winchester (Hants), 6 December 1909; will proved 22 January 1910 (estate £7,367);(2.10) Rev. Vere Awdry (1854-1928), born 14 October 1854; educated at Marlborough and Chichester Theological College; articled clerk to Stephen Cholmley of Lincolns Inn Fields, solicitor, 1873, but chose the church over the law and was ordained deacon, 1886 and priest, 1888; curate of North Bradley (Wilts), 1886-91; vicar of Broad Hinton (Wilts), 1891-95; vicar of Ampfield (Hants), 1895-1918; married 1st, 3 August 1887, Margaret Emily (1859-89), daughter of Frederick Man of Beckenham (Kent) and had issue one daughter (who died in infancy); married 2nd, 27 October 1891 at St. Leonards (Sussex), Mary Louisa (1852-1908), daughter of Edward Desborough Man of St. Leonards, and had issue one son and one daughter; married 3rd, 14 July 1909, Lucy Louisa (1878-1972), daughter of Percival Bury of Assam (Burma) and Winchester, and had issue two sons (the elder of whom was the Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry (1911-97), author of the Thomas the Tank Engine books for children); died 12 July 1928; will proved 16 August 1928 (estate £8,422);(2.11) Mary Awdry (1856-1959), born 1856; married, 10 May 1878 at Lacock, Rev. Frederick Daustini Cremer (1848-1927), and had issue seven children; died aged 103, 3 June 1959;(2.12) George Awdry (1858-60), born 2 June 1858 but died in infancy, 6 July 1860;(2.13) Priscilla Awdry (1860-1926), born 1860; member of the Society of Wiltshire Archers; visited America in 1901; died unmarried, 21 January 1926; will proved 4 March 1926 (estate £7,837).He probably occupied Notton House after his return to England in 1841 and inherited it from his father in 1844. He was presumably responsible for the remodelling of the house and the addition of the wings.He died 31 May 1878; his will was proved 4 July 1878 (effects under £14,000). His first wife died of dysentery at Bombay, 19 July 1834; administration of her goods was granted to her husband, 1 March 1875 (effects under £100). His widow died 10 April 1900; her will was proved 29 June 1900 (estate £8,920).

Charles Awdry (1847-1912)

Awdry, Charles (1847-1912). Fourth son of Sir John Wither Awdry (1795-1878), kt., and his second wife, Frances Ellen, second daughter of Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Carr DD, bishop of Bombay, born 12 February and baptised at Lacock, 28 March 1847. Educated at Winchester, New College, Oxford (matriculated 1865; BA 1870; MA 1873) and Inner Temple (admitted 1870; called to bar 1874). Barrister-at-law. Employed by W.H. Smith & Son, newsagents, 1870-1911, ending as senior active partner in the firm; JP and DL for Wiltshire; High Sheriff of Wiltshire, 1901; Hon. Treasurer of Kings College Hospital, London; an active supporter of Wiltshire Cricket Club; freemason from 1897. A moderate Conservative in politics, although he took no active part in political affairs locally or nationally. In 1905, he paid for the rebuilding of Christ Church, Shaw (Wilts). He married, 20 April 1876 at Salisbury Cathedral, Margaret Helen (1852-1939), eighth daughter of Rt. Rev. George Moberly, bishop of Salisbury, and had issue:(1) Charles Selwyn Awdry (1877-1918) (q.v.);(2) Margaret Frances Awdry (1878-1956), born 19 March and was baptised at St Peter, Cranley Gardens, Kensington (Middx), 11 April 1878; lived in Salisbury and was active in public affairs as a County Councillor and Alderman; chairman of Welfare Committee of Wiltshire & Dorset Association for the Deaf; vice-chairman of the Wiltshire County Mental Hospital and chairman of Pewsey Colony; died unmarried, 17 January 1956; will proved 5 March 1956 (estate £10,857);(3) Ambrose John Awdry (1879-1909), born 22 March and baptised at St Peter, Cranley Gardens, Kensington,1 May 1879; an officer in the Royal Field Artillery (2nd Lt., 1898; Lt., 1901; Capt., 1906); freemason from 1904; died unmarried at Barrackpore, Bengal (India), 10 May 1909; administration of his goods granted to his father, 6 July 1910 (effects £2,242);(4) Col. Robert William Awdry (1881-1949), born 20 May and baptised at St Peter, Cranley Gardens, Kensington, 21 June 1881; educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford (BA 1904; cricket blue); bacon manufacturer; an officer in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (Lt-Col.) who served in First World War and subsequently commanded the regiment; JP and DL for Wiltshire; High Sheriff of Wiltshire, 1928; member of Wiltshire County Council, 1919-49 (Chairman, 1946-49), Chairman of Wiltshire County Emergency Committee, 1939-45, and first chairman of the Wiltshire Victoria County History Committee, 1947-49; Captain of Wiltshire Cricket Club, 1920-34; built Hawkswell House, Little Cheverell (Wilts) about 1915 and lived there until 1941; appointed CBE, 1946; married, 27 January 1913, Olive Muriel MBE (fl. 1965), daughter of Louis Henry Tosswill MB MRCS LRCP, and had issue one daughter; died 3 February 1949; will proved 4 May 1949 (estate £64,166);(5) Alethea Mary Awdry (1886-1961), born 9 November and baptised at St John, Paddington (Middx), 18 December 1886; married, 10 December 1908, Canon George Ernest Newsom (1871-1934), Professor of Pastoral Theology at Kings College, London and later Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge, son of George Newsom of Blundell Sands (Lancs), and had issue two children; died 29 December 1961; will proved 2 March 1962 (estate £4,142);(6) Helen Elizabeth Awdry (1889-1982), born 4 September and baptised at St John, Paddington (Middx), 3 October 1889; appointed MBE, 1980; died aged 93, 1 November 1982; will proved 23 November 1982 (estate £164,850).He inherited Notton House from his father in 1878, but had let it by 1890 and lived later at Shaw Hill and East Lavington Manor. He died at East Lavington Manor, 28 March 1912, and was buried at Market Lavington; his will was proved 18 June 1912 (estate £282,112). His widow died 12 June 1939; her will was proved 27 September 1939 (estate £10,990).

Charles Selwyn Awdry
(1877-1918)

Awdry, Maj. Charles Selwyn (1877-1918). Eldest son of Charles Awdry (1847-1912) and his wife Margaret Helen, eighth daughter of Rt. Rev. George Moberly, bishop of Salisbury, born 23 March and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 27 April 1877. Educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford. A partner in W.H. Smith & Son, 1904-18. An officer in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (2nd Lt., 1898; Lt., 1900; Capt., 1903; Maj., 1909; Acting Lt-Col., 1914) and Wiltshire Regiment (Maj., 1917-18) who served in the Boer War and First World War (DSO; twice mentioned in despatches) and was killed in action, 1918; JP for Wiltshire. He played minor counties cricket for Wiltshire before the First World War. He married, 27 October 1903 at St Leonard, Heston (Middx), Constance Lilias (1881-1946), second daughter of James Edwin Bateson of Heston Hall (Middx) and Liverpool, cotton broker, and had issue:(1) Charles Edwin Awdry (1906-65) (q.v.);(2) Selwyn Ambrose Awdry (1908-28), born 28 April 1908; educated at Winchester; died unmarried, 28 April 1928;(3) Henry Godwin Awdry (1911-2002), born 14 February 1911; educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford (BA 1933); admitted a solicitor, 1936; an officer in Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (Maj.), who served in Second World War, 1939-45 (mentioned in despatches); married, 5 May 1947, Phillippa Joyce, daughter of Clifford Evan Holman, and had issue two sons; died 25 June 2002; will proved 30 September 2002;(4) Ambrose Leonard Awdry (1913-86), born 17 October 1913; educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford (BA); chartered surveyor; ARICS; served with Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry (Lt-Col.; retired 1945) in Second World War; awarded MC; married 10 June 1950, Helen Muriel Colquhoun, daughter of Reginald Thornton Dadson of Dorney House (Bucks) and had issue one son and two daughters; died 10 October 1986; will proved 4 March 1987 (estate £273,973);(5) Lilias Margaret Awdry (1916-68), born 15 January 1916; married, 18 April 1941 at Hitcham (Bucks), Colin Francis de la Mare (1906-83) of Marringdean Manor, Billingshurst (Sussex), son of the celebrated writer and poet, Walter de la Mare OM CH, and had issue one daughter; died 10 September 1968; her will was proved 31 January 1969 (estate £27,800).He purchased Hitchambury Manor at Taplow (Bucks) in 1909 and inherited Notton Lodge from his father in 1912. In 1911 and 1915 he was living at Littleton Pannell and Market Lavington and at the time of his death at Notton and Hitchambury.He was killed in action, 25 March 1918; his will was proved 11 May 1920 (estate £133,014). His widow died 9 April 1946; her will was proved 24 October 1946 (estate £55,593).Awdry, Maj. Charles Edwin (1906-65). Eldest son of Charles Selwyn Awdry (1877-1918) and his wife Constance Lilias, second daughter of J. Edwin Bateson of Brook Lodge, North Stoke, Wallingford (Berks), born in London, 29 April 1906. Educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford (BA 1928). An officer in Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (2nd Lt., 1928; Lt., 1932; Capt., 1938; Maj., 1945), who served in Second World War, 1939-45 (TD 1945). JP for Wiltshire; High Sheriff of Wiltshire, 1954. He played minor counties cricket for Wiltshire, 1924-39.He married, 2 November 1933 at All Souls, Langham Place, Paddington (Middx), Ursula Marion (1913-86), second daughter of Eustace Charles Mordaunt, stockbroker, and had issue:(1) Juliette Cynthia Awdry (b. 1934), born 24 October 1934; married, 25 January 1958, John McKenzie Bargman (1922-2007), architect, eldest son of Hans Ferdinand Bargman of Hatfield (Herts) and had issue two sons;(2) Patricia Margaret Awdry (b. 1937), born 14 May 1937; married, 20 July 1957, Capt. Maurice Lovett-Turner (b. 1931), elder son of Maj-Gen. Cecil Douglas Lovett-Turner OBE of Hurstbourne Tarrant (Hants) and had issue two daughters.(3) David Charles Eustace Awdry (b. & d. 1940), born 1 May 1940 and died in infancy, 1 August 1940;(4) twin, Vere Charles Awdry (b. 1945), born 28 September 1945; educated at Winchester; married, Jul-Sep 1972, Lucinda M. Wright (b. 1949), and had issue one son and two daughters;(5) twin, Selwyn John Awdry (b. 1945), born 28 September 1945; educated at Winchester; married, Apr-Jun 1970, Ann Douglas-Robertson, and had issue two daughters.He inherited Notton Lodge from his father in 1918 and came of age in 1927. In 1951 he was living at Notton Lodge, but at the time of his death at The Old Vicarage, Bowden Hill (Wilts).He died at Bowden Hill, 16 November 1965, and was buried at Lacock, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved 21 January and 25 May 1966 (estate £235,924). His widow died at Lacock, 24 April 1986; her will was proved 18 July 1986 (estate £222,397).

Location of archives

Coat of arms

Argent, on a bend azure, cottised sable, between two crescents of the first, a crescent between two cinquefoils or.

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Can anyone throw further light on the architectural development of Seend Manor House, or provide any early illustrations of the building?